Women's Journal: Northeastern begins second half on top

2012 is upon us and it is time for Hockey East and ECAC Hockey
teams to get back into the swing of the things. Before we can fully
focus on what is to come, we need to take a quick look back at the
first few months of the season.

Hockey East

Casey Pickett of Northeastern (photo: Jim
Pierce/Northeastern)

At the top of the standings, and a surprise to some, is
Northeastern at 8-2-1 (13-4-1 overall). The Huskies were tabbed as
No. 7 team in New England in our preseason power ratings, but since
the start of the season, they have routinely been in the top
three.

Northeastern is led by outstanding senior goalie Florence
Schelling and her 1.64 goals-against average. Freshman Kendall
Coyne leads Hockey East with 14 goals and 26 points.

The toughest challenge for the Huskies has been Boston College
(13-5-1, 7-2-1 WHEA). The Eagles have won both contests from
Northeastern and sit two points behind in the standings. BC has
been No. 1 in our power ratings every week after being No. 4 in the
preseason rankings.

Thirteen wins before the holiday break is a school record for
the Eagles as Corinne Boyles has been strong in net, amassing a
2.01 GAA, second-best to Schelling.

Providence and Boston University may be the two surprise
disappointments thus far. The Friars only won one of their first
eight contests so their overall record is lacking, though they have
stepped up in league play to currently be third in the
standings.

The Terriers were the No. 1-ranked team in our preseason
rankings but, due in part to a very tough schedule, they have not
been able to find their stride. BU has played 10 games against
teams ranked in the USCHO.com top 10 and are just 2-8 in those
contests.

After a slow start, Quinnipiac (13-7-1, 9-2-1 ECAC) is on top of
the ECAC. It is important to note that Harvard (9-4, 6-2 ECAC) has
four games in hand and Cornell (10-2, 6-1 ECAC) has five; both sit
seven points back of first place.

As expected, the young Bobcats are led by Kelly Babstock’s
24 points. The reigning Player of the Year gets plenty of help from
freshman Nicole Kosta, who has 13 assists and leads Quinnipiac with
a plus-6 rating.

The Crimson begin the new year having won four in a row,
including Tuesday’s 8-1 thumping of UConn. Harvard has the
second-lowest goals-against average in the ECAC at 2.00. Goalie
Laura Bellamy holds a .919 save percentage while top defenseman
Marissa Gedman (Framingham, Mass.) has two game-winning goals.

Dartmouth (7-5-1, 4-3-1 ECAC) is in the middle of the pack and,
like the Crimson, have four games in hand on the first-place
Bobcats. The Big Green started 2012 on the right note with a 5-2
triumph over Vermont Tuesday. Dartmouth has wins over both Harvard
and Northeastern, and also a one-goal loss to Boston College.

Brown (4-5-5, 1-4-3 ECAC) and Yale (1-14-0, 1-7-0 ECAC) are at
the bottom of the ECAC standings. The goalie tandem of Katie
Jamieson and Aubree Moore has split time for the Bears, and the two
have combined for a .941 save percentage.

Games of the Week

Clarkson at Northeastern, Thursday
Clarkson at Boston College, Friday

It will be interesting to see how the top two teams in Hockey
East fare against the No. 2 team in the ECAC.

Clarkson won eight of nine games before the holiday break,
including a 3-0 shutout of Quinnipiac. The Golden Knights have also
earned points this year against Providence, Vermont and BU. Goalie
Erica Howe has a 1.52 GAA while Jamie Lee Rattray leads the ECAC
with 26 points.